Company's carpooling eases traffic pains
Carpooling is becoming the premier choice for South Florida commuters looking to save on gas and ease their traffic woes.
BY YUDY PINEIRO
ypineiro@MiamiHerald.com
Soaring gas prices and frustrating traffic tie-ups are pushing a growing number of South Florida commuters to turn to cheaper and less stressful means to get to work.
No, that does not necessarily mean Metrorail, but carpooling.
''Vanpooling is a lot easier on me,'' said Louis Vargas, who lives in West Kendall and vanpools with five other residents and saves about $50 a month on gas. ``It's saving me a lot on gas and I don't have to fight my way through traffic -- alone.''
Vargas, a traffic coordinator at Sapient Experience Marketing, a marketing and advertising company located in Kendall, is one of several employees taking part in the free vanpool offered courtesy of the company and South Florida Commuter Services.
Funded by the Florida Department of Transportation, the SFCS is a commuter assistance program created in 2001 to improve traffic by encouraging people in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties to take alternative modes of transportation.
In February, SFCS Project Director Jim Udvardy released numbers that showed the program's online ride-match website had 68,000 participants, up from 39,000 in 2005.
''People are frustrated by gas prices, frustrated by the increase in traffic, and I think more open to commuting in groups to work,'' Udvardy said.
Udvardy said the number of riders also keeps rising as more employers recognize that commuting stresses impact the daily work of their employees.
About 400 companies in the tri-county area take part in rideshare program, he said.
Rebecca Rodriguez, spokeswoman for Sapient that has clients such as Burger King and Celebrity Cruises, said the company turned to SFCS because employees had no place to park.
''Our parking situation is horrendous here,'' she said of Sapient, which is run out of a warehouse at 12910 SW 89th Ct. ``We have 158 employees and only 35 parking spots.''
This is how vanpooling at Sapient works: SFCS supplies four vans and gas money. Employees volunteer to drive and pick up co-workers who live nearby.
One van packed with seven employees even drives in from Miami Beach. ''I live on South Beach and the fact that I don't have to drive my car anymore means I don't have to lose my spot on the beach anymore,'' said Guto Nicolucci, art director at Sapient.
``It's one last reason to be stressed out.''
Nicolucci said he saves about $250 a month on gas.
For more information, call 800-234-RIDE or visit www.1800234ride.com
BY YUDY PINEIRO
ypineiro@MiamiHerald.com
Soaring gas prices and frustrating traffic tie-ups are pushing a growing number of South Florida commuters to turn to cheaper and less stressful means to get to work.
No, that does not necessarily mean Metrorail, but carpooling.
''Vanpooling is a lot easier on me,'' said Louis Vargas, who lives in West Kendall and vanpools with five other residents and saves about $50 a month on gas. ``It's saving me a lot on gas and I don't have to fight my way through traffic -- alone.''
Vargas, a traffic coordinator at Sapient Experience Marketing, a marketing and advertising company located in Kendall, is one of several employees taking part in the free vanpool offered courtesy of the company and South Florida Commuter Services.
Funded by the Florida Department of Transportation, the SFCS is a commuter assistance program created in 2001 to improve traffic by encouraging people in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties to take alternative modes of transportation.
In February, SFCS Project Director Jim Udvardy released numbers that showed the program's online ride-match website had 68,000 participants, up from 39,000 in 2005.
''People are frustrated by gas prices, frustrated by the increase in traffic, and I think more open to commuting in groups to work,'' Udvardy said.
Udvardy said the number of riders also keeps rising as more employers recognize that commuting stresses impact the daily work of their employees.
About 400 companies in the tri-county area take part in rideshare program, he said.
Rebecca Rodriguez, spokeswoman for Sapient that has clients such as Burger King and Celebrity Cruises, said the company turned to SFCS because employees had no place to park.
''Our parking situation is horrendous here,'' she said of Sapient, which is run out of a warehouse at 12910 SW 89th Ct. ``We have 158 employees and only 35 parking spots.''
This is how vanpooling at Sapient works: SFCS supplies four vans and gas money. Employees volunteer to drive and pick up co-workers who live nearby.
One van packed with seven employees even drives in from Miami Beach. ''I live on South Beach and the fact that I don't have to drive my car anymore means I don't have to lose my spot on the beach anymore,'' said Guto Nicolucci, art director at Sapient.
``It's one last reason to be stressed out.''
Nicolucci said he saves about $250 a month on gas.
For more information, call 800-234-RIDE or visit www.1800234ride.com
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